👑 Forever a pageant queen

More than 75 years ago, Laura Jean Emery claimed the coveted title of Miss California 1947. Laura, who had spent her life working and growing up on her family’s farm, had never considered entering a beauty pageant; she joined on a whim and won the whole thing.

“[It was] just giggly,” she said of her experience in the competition. “There were a lot of laughs, because it was so unlike anything I’d thought of or been connected with or anything.”

Taking her new role in stride, Laura spent the next year making public appearances, including one that involved her shooting out of the Californian surf with a smile and posing for the rest of the day in a clamshell (below).

• In the years following her reign, Laura worked to create a union for models in her homestate, and advocated for livable wages for all women working in the industry.
• Miss California was one of the proudest chapters of Laura's life, and she cherished her sash for years afterward – until she lost it in one of her cross-country moves.

That’s where today’s story comes in: Leading up to Laura’s 96th birthday, Ruth da Silva, the front desk concierge at the pageant queen’s senior care home, decided to reach out to the Miss California organizers to get a replacement sash.

It took some time, but she was finally able to get her hands on a replica of Laura’s 1947 sash.

• Laura was shocked as Ruth presented her with the sash in front of her family and friends for her birthday last month.
• The former Miss California decided to sing for the nursing home residents in celebration, then reflected on her time as a social worker following her philanthropy work with pageanting. 
• “It sounds a little schmaltzy,” Laura told the Washington Post. But “I believed in people and I believed in people doing the best they could for themselves and their communities and their families. I guess that’s why I’m a social worker. They’re just good people all over.”